"The legal age for marriage is 18 for men and 17 for women. Family matters are governed by confessionally determined personal status law, and minimum ages acceptable for marriage differ accordingly. UNHCR reported early and forced marriage was common in the Syrian refugee community. According to a study conducted by the Heartland Alliance in 2014, the marriages were not official but usually endorsed by sheikhs in the refugee community, often encouraged with a bribe. These sheikhs were not linked to the country’s Sunni family courts, and the marriages had no legal standing" (Pg 30).

"There were reports of forced elopement, a customary practice whereby men abduct and rape girls or women with the intention of forcing them into marriage, but no estimates on its extent were available. When the perpetrator’s family was wealthy, the victim’s parents often reached a financial settlement rather than report the incident to police" (Pg 17).

"Ms. Seyavoshi announced that more than 300 girls under nine, and between 30,000 to 40,000 girls under 13-14 years old marry in Iran" (para. 5). "According to Iran’s Association of Children’s Rights, the number of girls married in Iran under the age of 15 climbed from 33,383 in 2006 to 43,459 in 2009, a 30 percent increase in three years. Experts say the increase is due to deepening poverty and parents’ desire to control their daughter’s sexuality" (para. 11).

"Although prohibited by law, the practice of kidnapping women and girls for forced marriage continued. According to NGOs Kyz Korgon and the Women’s Support Center, an average of at least 32 women and girls were kidnapped daily. Previous independent studies estimated that as many as 50 percent of all marriages in the country involved bride kidnapping" (Pg 24). "Although illegal, the practice of bride kidnapping continued (see section 6, Women). The kidnapping of underage brides remained underreported" (Pg 27).

"More than one-third of ever-married women age 15-49 (35%) reported that they made the decision to marry, while 61% say that their parents made the decision and 3% report the decision was made by other family members or relatives (Table 14.8)" (260).

"The Committee is particularly concerned about the legalization of child marriage" (pg. 3). "The Committee is particularly concerned about the non-imposition of criminal charges against a kidnapper and rapist who marries his victim with the consent of her guardian" (pg. 4). "The Committee is also concerned about the persistence of harmful practices in the State party, and regrets the limited efforts being made to eliminate child and/or forced marriage and killings in the name of so-called honour" (pg. 6). "Exceptions to the prohibition of child marriage, given that the legal age of marriage remains 15 years for girls" (pg. 13).

"During the conflict, the children were born as the offspring of consensual yet invalid marriages—contracted solely through a reading of the Fatiha, the first chapter of the Qur’an—or in circumstances of a forced union or rape" (Para 3).

"Child marriage is a problem here. Former President Abdullah Gul famously married when he was 30 and his wife 15" (para 11). "Turkey's legal age of consent is 18 but the practice of underage weddings in religious ceremonies remains widespread" (para 14)."440,000 girls under the age of 18 have become mothers since 2002, 15,937 of them below the age of 15. Child abuse cases have tripled in the past 10 years, during which time 438,000 underage girls have been married" (para 19). "'It is about giving normality to young women who have been married underage due to cultural norms, other norms, and now find themselves with their children suffering because...more

"When Fati was 12-years old, her father removed her from school in Niamey and sent her to Nigeria to marry a 40-year-old man. A year later, she was hospitalized with injuries inflicted by her new husband" (para 1). "Aichatou had to leave school at age 15 after she was forced to marry a 30-year-old man. At age 16, shortly after giving birth to her first child, she was widowed" (para 3).

"Fati’s and Aichatou’s stories of forced marriage are common in Niger – which, at 75 per cent, has the world’s highest rate of child marriage..." (para 9). "Illimin means 'knowledge for dignity' in Hausa, a common language in Niger, and the Safe Space programme Illimin was designed to combat both early marriage and pregnancy by educating and empowering adolescent girls to facilitate this change themselves" (para 11). "So far, at least 56 students have refused to marry men before age 18, despite pressure from their families, and credit the Safe Space with giving them the skills and confidence to negotiate the postponement. And many girls who were forced to drop...more

"Access to sanitary towels is a big challenge for girls who come from poor families in Kenya, with UNESCO estimating that around half of all school-age girls do not have access to sanitary pads. This prevents girls from participating and attending school because they feel ashamed or 'unclean'. There are many instances where girls drop out of school once they start their periods. Staying at home and being out of education leaves them even more vulnerable to violations of their rights such as child marriage" (para 6-7).

"A UN human rights expert has urged Malaysian authorities to redouble their efforts to end child marriages, and to establish a robust non-discriminatory child protection system" (para 1). "The UN Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, called on the Government to enter into a dialogue with religious communities and judges who continue to grant exceptions under 'certain circumstances' that allow the marriage of children of any age under Sharia law" (para 2). "Child marriage practices in Malaysia are often driven by poverty, patriarchal structures, customs and misconceptions around pre-marital sex. 'To help a child climb out of poverty, you must educate her, not...more

"Lifting the ban is an important step, but the sex discriminatory male guardianship system remains in full effect. For example, women are still unable to travel without male permission, apply for a passport, or choose when and whom to marry" (para 33).

"Lifting the ban is an important step, but the sex discriminatory male guardianship system remains in full effect. For example, women are still unable to travel without male permission, apply for a passport, or choose when and whom to marry" (para 33).

"'[Article 522] provides that in the event of a regular marriage between the perpetrator of a rape and his victim, all proceedings against him shall be suspended and, if conviction is pronounced, the execution of the sentence shall also be suspended. We consider that this article is a violation of human rights and questions women's and girls' rights to dignity. Through this campaign, we want the repeal of Article 522, to emphasize that rape is a crime and as such must be punished, and to insist on the fact that it is the right of every woman to refuse to marry her rapist and that it is necessary to put...more

"In the remote north of Vietnam, girls are disappearing. These girls, some as young as 13, are victims of bride trafficking, having been kidnapped and taken to China to be sold into marriage. According to child rights organisation Plan International, this type of forced marriage has been growing slowly but steadily over the past decade" (para 1-2). "Government figures state that there were 300 trafficking cases between January and March 2017, while Child Helpline has received nearly 8,000 trafficking-related calls in the past three years alone. Plan International is working in schools and communities in Ha Giang province to ensure that girls in particular are aware of the dangers of...more

[Kachindamoto] was shocked when she saw girls as young as 12 with babies and teenaged husbands, and was soon ordering the people to give up their ways (para 7). "Last year, Malawi's parliament passed a law forbidding marriage before the age of 18. But under customary law of the traditional authorities, and the constitution, Malawian children can still marry with parental consent" (para 10). "Emilida Misomali is part of a mothers group in the village of Chimoya, in Dedza district. They warn parents about the long-term ills of early marriage and childbirth, but say it falls on deaf ears."Most of them say 'It's better that she gets married. We can't...more

"A Malawian traditional leader has taken it upon herself to discourage the prevalence of child marriages within her constituency" (para 1). "Senior Chief Inkosi Kachindamoto annulled over 300 marriages, thereby applying the country’s new laws regarding child marriage. In April, President Peter Mutharika signed into a law a ban on child marriage, setting the minimum age requirement for marriage in the country at 18" (para 2). "'I have terminated 330 marriages of which 175 were girl-wives and 155 were boy-fathers, I wanted them to go to school and that has worked,' she told Nyasa Times, 'I don’t want youthful marriages, they must go to school…no child should be found loitering...more

"The Marriage Act (1923), the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (1961), the Hindu Marriage Act (1945) and the Orisa Marriage Act (1999) allow for girls to be married at 12, 14 and 16 years of age, which causes them to drop out of school and exposes them to health risks, including maternal mortality owing to early pregnancy. . . the Children Act (2012), while raising the minimum age of sexual consent to 18 years and criminalizing contraventions, also introduced exemptions under the Marriage Act, the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act, the Hindu Marriage Act and the Orisa Marriage Act, thereby legitimizing child marriage" (page 6).

"When Edna was just 15 years old and in grade 5 of primary school, she fell pregnant. To avoid the social stigma associated with having a pregnant daughter out of wedlock, as well as the burden of supporting an additional child, Edna's mother, Enifa, took her to her boyfriend's house to formalise their marriage. The boyfriend's family accepted responsibility, and Edna and her boyfriend started living as a married couple" (para 26, 27, 28). "Edna's dad, Adam, did not want his young daughter to get married. However, Mangochi is a matrilineal society and the mother and her family have more influence over the household and are the final decision makers....more

Case studies reveal trafficking for forced labor and forced marriage. Kachin women were captured in Burma and in China and trafficked to other provinces of China. When victims were able to call police, they were imprisoned for a few months before being sent to trafficking shelters, government offices, and/or given border passes to return home (page 34-36).

"Dowry System: Dawei: In four townships of Tanintharyi Region (Tavoy/Dawei, Laung Lon, Thayetchaung and Yebyu townships). . . . Perception of wedded women as “property” that is “bought” for a dowry. As a result women have little say in who they marry and there is a perception that the man can do anything he wants to his wife including domestic violence. Source: Tavoyan Women’s Union (TWU)" (page 32). Case studies reveal trafficking for forced labor and forced marriage. Kachin women were captured in Burma and in China and trafficked to other provinces of China. When victims were able to call police, they were imprisoned for a few months before being...more

"A newly completed survey conducted by UNFPA, the American University of Beirut and Sawa for Development and Aid, found that there has been alarming rise of child marriage among Syrian refugee children" (para 2). "Before the Syrian conflict, child marriage would not have been a reality for Iman and her family, as it was a significantly less common practice. Some estimates show that child marriage rates are four times higher among Syrian refugees today than among Syrians before the crisis. This skyrocketing rate can be attributed to the terror, poverty and instability that the conflict has caused" (para 8).

"For those who fled to Lebanon, another obstacle to their welfare has emerged: the threat of child marriage" (para 1). "A newly completed survey conducted by UNFPA, the American University of Beirut and Sawa for Development and Aid, found that there has been alarming rise of child marriage among Syrian refugee children" (para 2). "Of the 2,400 girls surveyed in Western Bekaa, more than a third of them between the ages of 20 and 24 had been married before the age of 18. Meanwhile, of the refugee girls currently between the ages of 15 and 17, an astonishing 24% are married" (para 3). "Before the Syrian conflict, child marriage would...more